PORT ANGELES — A homegrown reality TV star wants to go into county politics.
Port Angeles native Gabe Rygaard, whose family-owned Rygaard Logging Inc. is featured on History Channel’s “Ax Men,” has announced he will run for Clallam County commissioner.
Rygaard said Friday he will run as a Republican for the District 2 commissioner seat being vacated by Mike Chapman, who plans to run for a 24th Legislative District seat as a Democrat.
Filing week for the Nov. 8 general election is May 16-20.
Rygaard, 44, is co-owner of the company founded in 1991 by his father, Craig.
He said Friday his political priorities are creating jobs, keeping property taxes steady, fighting drug abuse and changing the culture of county government.
A lot of discord
“It seems like there’s a lot of discord in government at times in the county,” Gabe Rygaard said.
“At some point in time, someone needs to stand up.
“People need to meet together in the middle to find a middle ground to meet the goals that need to be met.”
Rygaard said the county could create jobs by promoting tourism.
He criticized escalating county assessments of property values, including those for land he owns, as being out of sync with reality.
“If that’s not a tax raise, I don’t know what is,” he said.
Promote timber industry
Rygaard said he also would promote the timber industry and revive an economy hit by mill closures.
He pledged to work with the state Department of Natural Resources to fulfill its sustainable-harvest target.
“If we can work things out with the state, that would instigate another mill or two mills coming back,” he said.
DNR failed to sell 92 million board feet of timber that it had targeted for sales in Clallam County from 2005 to 2014.
The county formed a Trust Lands Advisory Committee to weigh whether the county should reclaim management of 92,525 acres of DNR-managed forest lands in the county.
Rygaard said he does not yet have a position on the county taking on full responsibility for managing the timber trust property.
“What I am for is getting the harvest to a sustainable level required by law,” he said.
“I think that somewhere in the middle, people need to come together and say, ‘Ultimately, we have to create jobs in this county.’ ”
Drug abuse
Rygaard said if elected, he also would fight methamphetamine and heroin abuse by creating action committees composed of city and county officials.
Rygaard said he was not familiar enough yet with county finances to discuss the county budget.
He also said he does not have a position on the county commissioners’ recent decision to help upgrade the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center with an Opportunity Fund grant to pay for a new heating, ventilation, air-conditioning system.
“I’ve been watching that from a distance,” he said.
Rygaard coaches Little League, is active in his church and has helped raise money for Olympic Medical Center by using his “Ax Men” fame.
“That part of it has been really awesome,” he said as a fixture on a TV show watched weekly by more than 1.5 million viewers.
“I feel responsible being in that public figure spot and want to give back to this community.”
Rygaard, who has never run for elected political office, said if elected, he would continue at Rygaard Logging but in a lesser role.
“I would oversee the business,” he said. “I don’t have to baby-sit it, let’s put it that way.”
Rygaard said he also would continue his role on “Ax Men” if the show is renewed for a 10th season.
Filming for the episodes takes about 15 hours a week for five weeks in the summer.
The Rygaards also own the timber brokerage company Ryfield Properties Inc. in Port Angeles and Penny Creek Quarry in Quilcene in Jefferson County.
Rygaard and his wife and business partner, Katy, 41, have three children ages 10-19.
Others who have announced they will run for Chapman’s seat are Republican Maggie Roth and Democrat Ron Richards, both of Port Angeles.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
